Kim arrives in DC to hold summit with Bush

President Kim Dae-Jung will arrive in Washington early Wednesday morning and hold a summit with President George W. Bush Thursday. Kim will stay in the United States for five days until Mar. 11.

He is scheduled to hold talks with President Bush at the White House at 1 p.m. Thursday (11 a.m. Thursday, local time). Among the expected topics of discussion are current conditions in Korea and Northeast Asia, the two countries` North Korea policies and pending bilateral trade issues. At the end of the talks, the two leaders will hold a joint press conference to announce the results of their meeting.

During the talks, President Kim is expected to outline the Seoul government`s North Korea policy and measures aimed at establishing peace on the peninsula. President Bush will likely make clear the U.S. foreign policy direction, particularly with respect to North Korea, and discuss Washington`s proposed National Missile Defense (NMD) system.

In a departure statement at Seoul Airport on Tuesday, the president said he would hold in-depth discussions with Bush on a wide range of issues, among which are Seoul`s policies on inter-Korean reconciliation and cooperation through dialogue. Kim said he would endeavor to further promote South Korea`s ``comprehensive partnership`` with the U.S. and thus boost the national interests.

Before leaving, the president phoned main opposition Grand National Party (GNP) leader Lee Hoi-Chang at GNP headquarters to announce his departure. Lee sent his best wishes for the trip, according to GNP spokesman Kwon Chul-Hyeon.

Following is the itinerary for Kim`s U.S. visit:

Mar. 6 (Tuesday) in Washington
--Arrive in Washington

Mar. 7 (Wednesday) in Washington
--Breakfast meeting with Secretary of State Colin Powell
--Korea-U.S. summit (including luncheon)
--Meeting with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
--Meeting with Commerce Secretary Don Evans
--Meeting with representatives of Korean residents there
--Dinner meeting with noted American experts on Korea

Mar. 8 (Thursday) in Washington
--Breakfast with IMF managing director Horst Koehler and World Bank president James Wolfensohn
--Meeting with Treasury Secretary Paul O`Neill
--Speech to joint meeting jointly sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations and American Enterprises Institute
--Talks with House and Senate commissions on international relations (Henry J. Hyde, Jesse Helms).
--Interview with The Washington Post
--Interview with Korean correspondents in the U.S.
--Informal dinner

Mar. 9 (Friday) in Washington, Chicago
--Meeting with former secretary of state Madeleine Albright
--Leave Washington, arrive in Chicago
--Meeting with Illinois Gov. George H. Ryan

--Luncheon speech at joint meeting of Mid America Committee and Chicago Council on Foreign Relations
--Meeting with leaders of Korean residents in Chicago
--Attendance at dinner hosted by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley

Mar. 10 (Saturday) in Chicago
--Leave Chicago

Mar. 11 (Sunday)
--Arrive in Seoul

Song In-Soo issong@donga.com